Archaeologists Say This Tiny Amulet Is the Oldest Evidence of Christianity Found North of the Alps
Discovered in central Germany, the 1,800-year-old silver artifact held a tiny scroll, which researchers have now deciphered using high-resolution scans Smithsonian December 19, 2024
Experts have been able to read the scroll’s inscription without unrolling it. According to an announcement from the city of Frankfurt, it’s the oldest Christian artifact ever found north of the Alps.
The silver amulet was buried with a man in his 30s or 40s who died between 230 and 270 C.E., per the Greek Reporter’s Abdul Moeed. His grave is located in the ancient Roman town of Nida, a rich archaeological site in present-day Frankfurt’s suburbs.
Experts agree that these 18 lines will greatly enrich existing research into the spread of Christianity and the late period of Roman rule on the right bank of the Rhine. The inscription could be deciphered thanks to the latest computer tomography technology. It shows that the wearer of the amulet was clearly a devout Christian, which is absolutely extraordinary for this period. Goeth Universitat announcement
The Text on the Item
(In the name?) of St. Titus.
Holy, holy, holy!
In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God!
The lord of the world
resists to the best of his [ability?]
all seizures(?)/setbacks(?).
The god(?) grants well-being
Admission.
This rescue device(?) protects
the person who
surrenders to the will
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
since before Jesus Christ
bend all knees: the heavenly ones,
the earthly and
the subterranean, and every tongue
confess (to Jesus Christ).
More Details
One grave in particular came to the fore: the skeleton of a man was found in number 134, along with grave goods, an incense burner and a jug made of baked clay. But the special extra was under the man’s chin: a small silver amulet, a so-called phylactery, which he probably once wore on a ribbon around his neck
What is unusual is that the inscription is entirely in Latin. „That’s unusual for the time. Normally, such inscriptions on amulets were written in Greek or Hebrew,“ explains Scholz. The text is also very sophisticated. The author must have been an elaborate scribe.
At the end, the text also contains an almost literal quotation from Paul’s so-called Christ hymn from his letter to the Philippians (here: Phil. 2, 10-11).
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